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#VotefortheVote #EnduringConnections

There will be a referendum in Ireland in October 2019 to enable all Irish citizens living outside the State to vote in presidential elections. It is very important that this proposal gets a YES vote.

The Convention on the Constitution in 2013 voted 78% in favour of extending the vote in Irish presidential elections to citizens abroad.

The President is head of the nation. Ever since Mary Robinson lit a candle in the window of the Áras, the Irish President has represented something special to the Irish diaspora. Both President McAleese and President Higgins have continued that tradition of speaking directly to and including the Irish diaspora.

Irish citizenship is not dependent on residency and political participation is an inherent aspect of citizenship. That is why over 130 countries worldwide extend the right to vote to their citizens abroad.

A YES vote in the referendum on electing the President would break the link between residency and political rights for Irish citizens and it would strongly reinforce the links between Ireland and its diaspora.

On the wider question of voting rights for citizens abroad, it's worth remembering reciprocal agreements between countries -- citizens living abroad can be deeply affected by the actions of a government back home.

"When Irish football captain Seamus Coleman can’t #emvote for President, the franchise isn’t living up to the promise made by our nation’s founders. A yes vote in this year’s referendum would send a powerful message to Irish citizens across the world.”
https://t.co/y8ROCnDuYy